Dual enrollment--a program in which high school students take college classes, earning credit for both--is growing at a rapid pace across America's high schools and community colleges. While dual enrollment can help students fulfill high school graduation requirements and simultaneously make progress toward a postsecondary degree, some student…

Recent changes to federal career and technical education (CTE) policy have emphasized the importance of closing access and success gaps in postsecondary CTE among "special" student populations including low-income students, racially minoritized students, students with disabilities, and student groups historically underrepresented in…

Over half of the students enrolled in public higher education are enrolled in community colleges. For decades, community colleges have provided an avenue for students to transfer to four-year institutions and pursue a bachelor's degree in addition to providing a critical avenue for upward mobility for historically underserved student populations.…

For Latinx students, attaining a higher education is one the most important achievements they can pursue. According to Gandara and Moredechay (2017), Latinx students encounter many socio-economic struggles such as a lack of familial support and limited educational resources. In fact, many Latinx students come from low-income households, which…

Access to higher education is a key determinant of lifetime earnings in the U.S. Since the 1960s, selective public universities have admitted students mostly on the basis of standardized test scores and other measures of academic preparation. In this dissertation, I employ quasi-experimental and structural research designs to investigate the…